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Just to add another perspective here - I'm an art collector who's done several donations over the years. A few points that haven't been mentioned: 1. The IRS scrutinizes art donations more closely than almost any other type of donation, especially when there's a large appreciation in value. Be prepared for potential questions. 2. If you donate to a museum, make sure they're actually going to use the art for their exempt purpose. If they're just going to sell it, the IRS may limit your deduction. 3. Timing matters. You need to have owned the asset for more than a year to get the full fair market value deduction (long-term capital gain treatment). 4. The appraisal CANNOT be from the organization receiving the donation - it must be independent.
Thanks for the additional insights! Do museums typically provide documentation stating they'll use the artwork for their exempt purpose? And how does the IRS verify this - do they actually follow up with the museum?
Museums will typically provide you with a formal acknowledgment letter that should state their intentions for the artwork. The better museums will explicitly state that the work will be used for their exempt purpose (display, education, etc.). The IRS doesn't routinely follow up with museums, but in case of an audit, they can request documentation from both you and the receiving organization. This is more common with high-value donations. Form 8283 actually requires the receiving organization to sign acknowledging receipt of the donated property, and they're supposed to file Form 8282 if they dispose of the property within three years, which creates a paper trail the IRS can follow.
Am I the only one wondering if there's a minimum holding period before donating? Like, can you really just buy something, get it appraised higher a week later, and donate it? Seems like there would be rules against that...
There absolutely are rules about this! If you hold the property for less than a year before donating, it's considered a short-term capital gain property, and your deduction is limited to your cost basis (what you paid for it), not the appraised value. You need to hold the property for more than a year to get the full fair market value deduction. This is specifically to prevent the kind of quick flip-and-donate scenario you're describing.
One thing nobody has mentioned yet - make sure you stay current with your tax filings while your OIC is pending! If you fall behind on any current tax obligations, they'll automatically reject your offer. Also, you'll need to pay the application fee unless you qualify for a low-income certification. For 2025, that fee is $205, but it gets applied to your tax debt if your offer isn't accepted.
That's really helpful information. Is the low-income certification something separate I need to apply for, or is it part of the OIC application?
The low-income certification is actually included as part of the OIC application process. When you complete Form 656, there's a section (Section 1) where you can check a box to request the low-income certification. If your household income is at or below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines, you qualify for both the application fee waiver and to skip the initial payment requirement. Based on your annual income of $41K, you might qualify depending on your household size. For 2025, the threshold for a single person is around $36K, but for a household of 2, it's about $49K. Definitely worth checking if you're close to those numbers.
Has anyone used a professional to help file their OIC vs doing it themselves? What was the cost? My friend used a tax attorney and they charged $3000 which seems crazy expensive.
I used a CPA who specializes in IRS resolution for my OIC last year. Cost me $1,500 total. Worth every penny because they found several exemptions I would have missed. My offer got accepted for about 15% of what I originally owed. Those national tax relief companies with the radio ads wanted to charge me $4,500+ for the same service, so definitely shop around.
Just an FYI for future reference - if you don't have your exact AGI, you can usually just enter $0 for electronic filing. This works if: 1. You're a first-time filer 2. You didn't file last year 3. You can't access your previous AGI for whatever reason The IRS added this option specifically for people who have trouble accessing their previous returns. Might save someone some stress next tax season!
I tried the $0 trick and my return got rejected. Does that only work with certain tax software? I was using FreeTaxUSA.
The $0 AGI option works with all tax software that uses the IRS e-file system, but there are some specific conditions. It's most reliable for first-time filers. For returning filers, it works if you didn't file last year or if you've had a significant change (like filing status). With FreeTaxUSA specifically, make sure you're selecting the right option - there should be something like "I don't have last year's AGI" or "I don't have access to my previous return." The software might have a specific workflow for this situation.
The IRS queue system is ridiculous. You know what's equally frustrating? When you finally get through the queue, verify your identity, and then the site crashes while you're trying to access your transcript. Happened to me TWICE today. Does anyone know if there's a penalty if I file tomorrow instead? I'm just about ready to give up for tonight.
If you don't file by midnight tonight and you owe taxes, you'll face a failure-to-file penalty of 5% of unpaid taxes for each month your return is late, up to 25%. There's also interest that accrues daily. HOWEVER - if you're getting a refund, there's no penalty for filing late! You just won't get your refund until you file. So if you're getting money back, you can file tomorrow without any penalty.
Have you considered just starting over with a clean QuickBooks file? For my lawn care business, when I had a similar issue last year, I found it easier to export all my transactions to Excel, remove the duplicates there, and then import the clean data back into a fresh QuickBooks company file. It took a few hours but was actually less frustrating than trying to fix it in QuickBooks directly. If you go this route, make sure you reconcile your accounts before and after to ensure everything matches up. Also, keep your old QBO file as a backup. This approach worked well for me for Schedule C filing.
Wouldn't that mess up all your existing categorizations and receipt attachments? I have about 300+ transactions with receipts carefully attached and categorized for tax purposes. Starting over sounds terrifying.
You're right to be concerned about losing attachments. The export/import method works best if you haven't attached many receipts yet. In your case with 300+ transactions with attachments, I'd definitely go with the selective deletion approach instead. If you do need to delete transactions one by one, a time-saving tip is to open two browser windows side by side - one showing your bank's actual transactions and the other showing your QuickBooks register. This makes it easier to quickly identify which entries are the duplicates as you go through them.
Has anyone used the QuickBooks Audit Log to help with this? I had a similar issue and found that looking at the audit log helped me identify which transactions were manually entered vs. automatically imported. The manually entered ones usually showed up as "Created by [your name]" while the imported ones showed "Created by Bank Feed." This made it much easier to figure out which set to keep. For Schedule C purposes, I kept the bank feed ones since they had the exact transaction dates from the bank rather than when I manually entered them.
Emma Taylor
The timing of the CP148A notice (dated 2020) and your recent state registration suggests they're unrelated. These notices can be generated for various reasons - someone submitting a change of address form, the USPS National Change of Address database, or even a third party like your tax preparer updating information. I'd focus less on what triggered it and more on correcting the address ASAP. File Form 8822-B immediately. Also check if your state registration has the correct address - you want consistency across all your business filings.
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Malik Robinson
ā¢Do you know if having the wrong address on a CP148A could cause issues with state unemployment insurance taxes? I'm worried that if the IRS has wrong info it might mess up my state UIT reporting too.
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Emma Taylor
ā¢Having the wrong address on a CP148A won't directly impact your state unemployment insurance taxes. State and federal systems are separate, though they do share information occasionally. However, the underlying issue - incorrect address information in government databases - could potentially cause problems with both agencies. It's important to ensure your address is correct with both the IRS and your state tax authority to avoid missing important notices from either one. State UIT reporting is primarily handled at the state level, but keeping consistent information across all agencies is always good practice.
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Isabella Silva
I had something similar happen - got a CP148A out of the blue after setting up state withholding for the first time. In my case, the IRS agent explained that when you register for state withholding, the state does sometimes share your information with the IRS, especially if you're a new business. The state had a different address than what the IRS had on file, which triggered the CP148A.
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Ravi Choudhury
ā¢This makes sense - I've seen similar data sharing trigger notices. The government agencies definitely talk to each other. Better to make sure all your info is consistent across every agency.
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